This May Sound Strange, But I Love Your Eyes
by MoffAnimeTeeny
Summary: Armin and Yuuya awkwardly meet and become friends. Through time, they realize they like each other in more ways than one. They both recognize each other for their beautiful eyes, which somehow strengthens their bond. (Contains yaoi. Don't like, don't read.)
1. Silver Eyes

**Armin's POV**

I sat silently in the back of Mikasa's car with my cheek pressed against the window. The sky was clear, the leaves were orange, and the air was cool. I will admit, I was nervous about starting high school. All my life, I had Eren and Mikasa by my side. Whenever I got beaten up, they came to my rescue. Whenever I needed support, they were there for me. They're like my guardian angels. But I was positive at one point they'd find separate lives at Yomiyama North High School. Eren would probably pick up some girls on the soccer team. Mikasa would make friends on the wrestling team (provided they weren't scared of her). But what would I do? I didn't have any talents like them.

I didn't want to depend on them forever, but I didn't want the way the three of stuck together like glue to change.

Eren was a bit _too_ excited to start high school. He insisted on listening to his British rap music on the car and wearing those ridiculous sunglasses to school. I could tell Mikasa wanted to throw him out of the car, but she just kept driving.

Mikasa actually wasn't supposed to drive. She never took a driving test in her life, but she was a natural pro. Unlike _Eren_ , who hit 10 mailboxes when he took his dad's Mercedes for a joyride.

That weirdo.

Mikasa scored a parking space close to the front gates. I hoped her car wouldn't get paint-balled (something I read in a book and seen in more movies than one). Eren wanted to stay in the car and blast his weird music. As Mikasa dragged him out of her car screaming about how embarrassing this was, I just kept walking towards the gates looking at my feet.

I should've known I'd bump into someone, since I wasn't looking where I was going. Sure enough I did. I looked up and locked eyes with a boy who had the brightest gray eyes. His eyes were like fountains overflowing with melted silver. That's all I noticed- his eyes. "Oh…um…sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."

 _Uh, OBVIOUSLY you didn't see him, Armin, you idiot_ , I thought. "Um…it's fine." The boy ran off to somewhere. _Well, I guess he's just as nervous as I am._ I looked behind me to see Mikasa repeatedly smacking Eren for ruining her image. "Guys, what are you doing? Let's go already."

Those two… I just don't know.

Time skip (few hours)

This day was like any school day. As much of a bookworm I am, I found school boring. I had the most fun in my room at home, reading. Lunchtime had come, and I was going to call Eren to see where he was (on this huge campus) but my phone wasn't in my pocket. _Dammit, I probably left it in my PE locker. That gross locker a thousand people have probably used. Ugh._

Time skip (five minutes)

I entered the boy's locker room and was smacked with the stench of People Odor. Aside from that, I noticed something else. It was Silver Eyes (I didn't know what to call him). He stood in front of an open locker, buttoning up his shirt. He looked at me staring at him. The 0.012 seconds we spent staring at each other felt like 12 minutes. Until our brains snapped awake.

"AAH!" "AAH!" "Why are you staring at me!" "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I just didn't expect anyone to be in here!" "Stop looking at me!" "Okay, I'm sorry, I just wanna get my phone!" "Oh then get it." **AWKWARDEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE**. I couldn't help but wish I had Eren with me. I started turning the dial on my lock, then Silver Eyes spoke up. "Look, I'm sorry I freaked out. That was awkward." _Yeah, I think so, dude_ , I thought. He extended his hand. "I'm Yuuya Mochizuki. I'm a first year." "Oh, um, Armin. Arlert. Yeah, I'm a first year, too…"

Awkward handshake. What was I DOING? "Well, perhaps we'll run into each other sometime. I gotta go," and with that, he left the room. "Uh… sure." Granted, he was friendly, but the awkwardness of the situation was just freaking me out. I called Eren, who of course wasn't answering me. So I called Mikasa, who also wasn't answering me. _Ugh, there's a reason they have phones_ , I thought, and left the locker rooms to go find the library. Somewhere. On this huge campus.

End chapter 1


	2. Cerulean Eyes

[Yuuya's POV]

I was pretty skeptical about taking a music class, especially at a high school level. But I didn't have very many choices.

Just one more class after this, and I'd be home free. The music room was absolutely freezing. The people in this class all looked extremely serious. They all sat in the hard metal chairs, arms and legs folded, eyebrows arched, staring the director dead in the face while he talked about expectations...or something. I didn't pay much attention.

At the complete opposite end of the room was Armin, the awkward blonde that seemed to be everywhere I was. I wasn't complaining, he seemed very nice. None of my friends came to this high school, so I thought I'd be a loner for a while. Perhaps not. I wasn't sure what to expect.

Armin happened to look my way. I waved. He waved back. _Was that weird?_ I asked myself. _Whatever. If he thinks I'm strange that'll make two of us._

(Time skip- 45 minutes)

This class was finally over. These "serious" upperclassmen were making me nervous. As I made my way to the door, I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Hey. Seems like our paths never stop crossing." I turned and saw Armin walking behind me. "Uh... yeah. sure seems that way." As he stepped outside, the breeze hit his face and his glossy blonde hair blew behind him, revealing his perfect pale skin and really... beautiful blue eyes.

Like, wow.

His eyes were a blue brighter than the clearest Carribean ocean water. They were mesmerizing. "So why'd you take the music class?"

I realized he just asked me a question. "Oh, well, honestly, I have no clue what possessed me to take it. All the art classes were full, and this seemed like the only class that wouldn't bore me to tears. What about you?"

Armin kind of smiled. "Well you see, my grand-" He was cut off by a raven haired girl popping out of... nowhere really and grabbing him by the ear.

"Armin, where the hell were you at lunch?" she demanded. "Eren was worried."

 _Woah, she looks intense,_ I thought. _Is that like, his girlfriend or something?_ (I was actually wrong about that, by the way.) "Ow! Mikasa... agh... excuse me a second," Armin said, nervously laughing.

A brunette boy appeared from around a corner. His face lit up at the sight of Armin. "Armin! My wittle blonde babu~"

"What is wrong with you people? Have the druggies at this school gotten to you already?" This girl's expression seemed to never change. "See? Eren was worried." "Oh, so you're only worried because Eren was worried? I see the friendship we share. Eren, stop hugging me, dammit."

The girl turned to me and looked at me with Evil Eyes. "Who are you?" she asked. "Me? Oh, I'm Yuuya Mochizuki." I held out my hand. "Cool," she said, completely ignoring the handshake I offered. _Um, okay_ , I thought.

"I called you guys and no one answered me. So don't yell at me."

The girl turned to the two boys. "Whatever. You two are making me late. Be one time afterschool or you can walk home. "

"Yeah, okay 'Kasa."

"Geez. So uptight." Armin looked at me. "You'll have to excuse them. Theyre not quite all there. But she's right. We better go or we'll be late. "

I was a bit weirded out by the other two. "Oh, yeah. Well I'll see you soon."

"Sure."

(Time skip- 5 minutes)

As I sat in class, I realized that being in a music class meant I actually had to play an instrument. I vowed I wouldn't make this mistake next year and get into art at all costs.

All day Id done nothing but listen to people talk. I pulled out my sketchbook. I thought about Armin's stunning eyes. I'd never seen someone with a color like that. I drew a pair of eyes with wispy lashes.

I'd color them blue when I got home.

-end chapter 2-


	3. How Does Evolution Affect Us?

[Armin's POV]

It was Saturday afternoon. I actually woke up a couple of hours ago, but never bothered to get out of bed. The first week of school went by so quickly.

Eren and Mikasa grew impatient for the sport sign-up to come. Eren checked out girls three years older than him and Mikasa smacked him for it. I hung out in the library with Yuuya doing whatever work we were given. It seemed like Eren and Mikasa had like no homework yet I did. The perks of being an honors student, I guess.

Yuuya was pretty cool. It was nice to have a fellow brainiac around. Eren's lack of brains and Mikasa's silence could be very exhausting. To have somebody on my level was very refreshing.

A noise loud enough to wake the dead nearly gave me a heart attack.

"COCONUT!" (Naturally, it was Eren. The magic appearing man.)

"AAH!" I threw up my comforter and hid. Eren stood in my doorway, looking puzzled. "Why are you still in bed? Its 1 o'clock. For a nerd, you're pretty lazy."

I glared at my intruder. "Oh? And what time did YOU get up?"

"10," Eren replied matter-of-factly. "Ha. Try to beat the roosters to the sunrise?" I joked. "And more importantly, WHO let you in?" "Your grandfather. I just need to stay here for half an hour," Eren said as he plopped himself in my swivel chair.

"May I ask why?"

"Well, I have a date with a super cute girl I met, Mina, and I'm meeting her at 2. 'Kasa's in the shower, so I ran out so she wouldn't see me leave. Because you know I'd never be able to explain why I'm heading out dressed like this."

I gotta say, Eren cleans up nicely. He actually combed his hair. He actually ironed his pants. Put on his "nice" shoes. And the graphics on his t-shirt represented something other than abstract rap groups, "Just Do It," or some totally sexist quote.

"Hmm…" I mumbled, retreating under my comforter, "you can stay. I don't care." With that I rolled myself into a burrito and off the bed. "Thank you, Armin. Dude, what the hell are these textbooks on your desk? Biology? Why is it so THICK?"

"Honors classes," I replied. Eren shook his head. "Tsk. Always gotta be the whiz." I looked him dead in the face. "Damn right."

Eren purred jokingly at me. "Ooh, sassy." He picked up a disk off my junk pile on the floor. "Um, why do you have Free! Iwatobi Swim Club volume 1 disk 3 on your floor?"

"Oh. Um. My cousin must've left it here." "Armin you don't have cousins." "So I like to watch it! Big deal!" Eren laughed at my defensive tone. "Ooh, you like muscley shirtless guys swimming, huh?" he teased. "SWIMMING is interesting. And how do you know what it's about, huh?"

Eren paused. "Mikasa watches it. Occasionally." (I could tell he was lying because he said "Mikasa" not "'Kasa.) "Yeah, I bet she does, Eren."

My phone vibrated on my bookshelf. I unwrapped myself from the abyss of blankets, stood up, and straightened my boxers. "A fan of Wonder Woman?" "Eren, shut up. Last time you slept over you were wearing Pokémon boxers. So which is worse?"

"Pikachu is a very loveable creature."

"I literally have no words for you. Oh wait, HOPELESS." Eren laughed. I read my text.

 **Yuuya: what're you doing today?**

"Who is it?" Eren asked. "Yuuya," I replied.

 **Me: nothing.**

 **Yuuya: can you help me with my homework?**

 **Me: I guess. What class.**

 **Yuuya: Biology.**

"Yuuya? Oh yeah, what's he like? What do you two do in that library? Hold hands behind the biography shelf?" I glared at Eren. "Screw you, Eren. We do our work." Eren shook his head in disbelief. "All work, no play. Get a girlfriend, go to a party, learn to drive, do something."

I chuckled, still focused on my phone.

"I don't want to end up like you." "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Eren asked, annoyed. "Your GPA is a 2.0 for quite a few reasons, buddy." "Oh, please, Coconut, don't be silly." "Without Mikasa and I, it'd be much lower." "Why, _thank you_ , Armin. I _appreciat_ e your moral support," he said sarcastically. I walked over to my desk and started arranging my things. "A pleasure," I said, also sarcastically.

"What're you doing?"

"Cleaning." "Why?" I threw a bunch of crap in the closet. "I invited Yuuya over." Eren rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, to study." I snapped my fingers. "SPOT ON, YAEGAR."

"The two of you need lives." I laughed. "I'll keep that in mind whenever Mikasa beats you up for being a 'socially active person'." Eren raised a finger. "That party we went to last year was PHENOMANAL. It was _so_ worth the black eye she gave me." I threw more stuff in the closet. "Eren, you went to like _20_ parties and took me to 5, why I don't know. Which one?"

"the one where I met that girl… what was her name… Crista… and we had a LOVELY time." "Oh, Mikasa LOVED that one."

"Hey, I wanted her to check _you_ out, but she was just a TAD BIT wasted. And Mikasa's not my mom."

"Yet here you are, hiding at my house."

Eren looked at his phone. "Oh yeah! I should go." I laughed, "Yeah don't be late."

"Byyyyyye, Coconut," he called as he ran down the stairs. "Bye, Eyebrows." "My eyebrows are FABULOUS." I laughed, and heard the front door shut.

What a jokester.

One thing I really liked about Eren was that he brought out my funny side.

I realized I wasn't even dressed and I invited someone over, dammit.

 _Time skip_

My doorbell rang at 2:06. "Who is that, Armin?" my grandfather asked. "My friend,' I responded. "Aren't you quite popular today?"

I opened the door to see Yuuya standing there twiddling his thumbs. "Hi," he said with a weak smile. "Hi! Come inside." I flung the door opened wider. I probably looked super weird. I was just trying not to come on as unpleasant, so I put on my slightly eccentric persona. "My room is upstairs."

I led Yuuya into my freshly cleaned room. The scent of lavender was in the air. The floor was actually visible, I had another swivel chair pulled out, and two mugs and a teapot were positioned perfectly on my (polished) wooden desk.

To offer guest tea was a thing I picked up in Ouran High School Host Club. (Yes, I watched it. It was very helpful.) "Have a seat," I said as cheerfully as possible. "Um, okay." Yuuya looked nervous. Maybe he's just the kind of person who doesn't really go over other people's houses. He took the chair on the left.

'I hope you like Earl Grey tea. I only have 20 boxes in the pantry." Yuuya pulled out a few books from his bag. "Yeah, I do. My mom likes it, too."

I whipped out a pen and my textbook. "So let's get cracking. I'm practically done with the chapter overview; all I have to do is the essay and the worksheets."

"The essay question doesn't make any sense."

I kind of looked at him sideways. "Huh?"

Yuuya cleared his throat. "It reads 'How does evolution affect individuals on a daily basis?'" "Uh-huh." "But it doesn't make sense. Evolution takes thousands, even millions of years. So why would it affect me?" I thought a second. "It wouldn't." "So what would I write?"

I clicked my pen open. "Write that it doesn't." Yuuya looked so lost, it was so cute. "So… it's a trick question?" "Well…" I thought aloud. "Yes and no. the evolution of bacteria affects us. You see, excessively using antibiotics to fight bacteria could lead to the emergence of pathogenic bacteria that can no longer be treated by antibiotics. That affects us."

Yuuya nodded. "Ok."

We sat at my desk, writing intensively. I couldn't help but notice how neat his handwriting was. It was so straight and all the letters' heights matched perfectly. His paper looked typed. My handwriting was neat, but not perfect. It made me think of eren's illegible handwriting and Mikasa's messy cursive.

Their flaws made me smile. In a good way.

It was Mikasa who did all the insulting and correcting.

After 20 minutes of constructing an essay worth reading, Yuuya spoke up. "Um, can I use your bathroom?" "Sure. Last door on your left.

"Thanks."

I never noticed how silently yuuya walked. You'd never know he was there; he was so quiet on his feet. Like a ninja.

I noticed a sketchbook looking thing sticking out of his bag. I pulled it out, opened it up, and my jaw dropped.

He is… one hell of an artist.

Like wow.

The Eiffel tower. This fountain. This St. Bernard puppy. This pair of blue eyes. His drawings were like photographs. I put the book back, amazed at what I just saw.

 _Time skip._

I didn't know where my day went. Where our day went. How long were we reading this? How long did it take us to do these papers? Why were we talking about geometry? I looked at my phone.

"Um, Yuuya?" "Yes?" "Do you need to be home at a specific time?" "No, why?" "It's 8:30."

With that said, his expression went from regular to shocked. Then to defeated. "Crap… my mom went to work already… that means I have to walk home."

"Is your house really that close?" Yuuya shrugged. "Eh, ¾ of a mile." "You're going to walk that far in the dark?" he shifted in his chair. "Um… I guess."

"I'll walk you home."

He looked up at me. "What? I mean… you don't have to. I'll just walk fast." "No, really, I like the evening air anyhow."

I grabbed a sweater from a drawer. "Um, ok. Thanks." I smiled. "My pleasure."

 _Time skip_

The air was much cooler than I expected. The sweater I was wearing wasn't really enough, in terms of providing warmth. I shoved my hand s in my pockets and wrinkled my nose.

"So what does your mom do for work?' I asked. "She's an overnight nurse at the regional hospital." "Hmm… my mom was a doctor." "Oh. That's…cool." I exhaled lightly. "I'll tell you straight up, both my parents are dead." Yuuya looked extremely uncomfortable. "Guh… I didn't ask…"

"No, it's okay. I was like, 1. I don't remember them." It was silent a minute or two. "You're an amazing artist by the way." His face lit up with a smile. "Really? Thanks!"

"Now I see why you were so bent about the art classes. But I'm sure music won't be that bad."

"Oh yeah, so why did you take music?" "Didn't I tell you?" I asked. "No. Your friends cut you off." "Oh, that's right. _Those nutcases_ , I thought. "My grandfather taught me how to play the violin." Yuuya looked a bit surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, he used to make them. He went to France for two years to do an apprenticeship for a violin maker."

"My mom is a pianist." That sounded cooler than violinist. "Wow," I said. "It's a lot less complicated than it looks." He said. "Can you play?" "I can't read music, but sure. I can play the piano." I was really fixated on the stars. "I could never play the piano. I'm terrible with my hands." Yuuya started laughing.

And then I realized what I just said. "Oh… wait… that sounded a bit weird." "Yeah, it did." _Good job, Armin, you managed to say something totally sick_. I faceplamed, and Yuuya kept laughing at me.

End chapter 3


	4. Your Hair Looks Great As Is

[Yuuya's POV]

It was Sunday morning. I was sitting in my room folding my laundry. Yesterday, I had gone to Armin's house to do homework.

The truth was, I actually didn't have any problems with my work. I was perfectly capable of doing that essay and the worksheets. I was actually just bored and a bit lonely. I guess I just needed an excuse to hang out with someone.

As I stuffed my shirts in a drawer, I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair is a mess, I thought. I cut my hair quite rarely, because my mom thinks I look cuter with shaggy hair.

I had news for her, I wasn't 10 years old anymore.

It was 11 am. I decided to text Armin.

 **Me: Do you think I should cut my hair?**

 **Armin: No, your hair looks great the way it is.**

Perhaps his answer was a bit biased, considering Armin had quite a head of hair himself. I looked for that hat with the kitty ears on it in my drawer. I found it under some pants and put it on.

 _How do I look_? I thought. I decided to take a mirror selfie in some weird pose- something I only do privately. Of course, my sister had to come in at that moment. "Yuuya, what the hell are you doing?" I threw my phone behind me and smiled nervously. "Oh…um…nothing. Just trying on this…hat thing."

"Aww, you look so cute, Yuuya. Like a boy Lolita," she said. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Don't say it that way. What did you want?" She threw a pair of socks at my face. "You left this downstairs." My sister left. I guess I didn't look half bad in this hat. My phone vibrated.

 **Armin: I can't wait to go home. These people are making me mental.**

 **Me: Where are you?**

 **Armin: Eren and Mikasa's house. Eating cookies.**

 **Me: uh… okay.**

 **Armin: These are my Sundays.**

 **Me: lol**

I remember my Sundays. I'd spend countless hours at the beach with my friends. We had some fun times together. As much as I enjoy Yomiyama North, it would never be as good without Kouichi, Naoya, Tomohiko, and Ikuo. For some reason I thought about the time we all went fishing and Naoya smacked me with the trout he caught.

I bet they were having a blast at their high school. Kouchi was probably a master at painting by now. Naoya probably signed up for the swim team. Tomohiko was probably running for a spot on the student council. And Ikuo… I hoped he wasn't in the hospital. Again. (He was born with a lot of heart problems.)

My phone vibrated again.

 **Armin: Have you decided what you're playing yet?**

 **Me: Yes and no.**

 **Armin: ?**

 **Me: I guess piano? Hbu. Violin.**

 **Armin: Yup.**

 **Me: Cool. Let's play Here With You by Kiora Karin** sometime.**

 **Armin: I won't ask how you know that song.**

 **Me: my sister has the cd.**

 **Armin: Oh. But why that one? It's so sad…**

 **Me: it's soothing tho**

 **Armin: Whatever.**

Here With You was a great piece of music. I probably could play it. If I could read music. I couldn't think about that right now. It looked overwhelming. Overwhelming was not something I handle well.

-end chapter 4-

** _Here With You is OST II Track 5 on the Mirai Nikki Original Soundtrack_.


	5. Hidden Talents

Armin's POV

It was our fourth week of school.

Yuuya had been freaking out about his "musical problems" for forever and a day. He could physically play the piano, but he couldn't get the note-reading in his head.

The night before, I had thought of something. I hoped that it would work. Yuuya was probably ready to just take an F for music, however I wouldn't let him quit like that. All I had was hope he was capable of what I hypothesized. _If I could fix Eren's problems, I can fix Yuuya's problems, too_ , I thought.

We met in the music room during lunch hour. Yuuya sat at the piano. I pulled up a chair.

"So. Last night, an idea dawned on me," I began.

"Ok. What is it?" he asked.

I cleared my throat. "How often do you listen to your mom play the piano?"

"Every day."

"And you know where all the keys are?"

"Yeah."

"Before this class, how often did you play the piano?"

"Um… once a month."

"How many songs do have memorized?"

"Two and a half."

"Okey dokey. I have faith in this experiment." I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone and a tangled pair of earphones. I opened my song list on my phone and searched for a particular piece, _Modorenai Michi_ , a smooth, classical piano piece.

I handed my friend the phone and the earphones. "I want you to listen to this piece. I mean REALLY listen to it. In fact, go sit in the corner, close your eyes, and listen to it ten times."

He took my phone and planted himself in a corner.

I waited patiently for him to finish. The 20 minutes felt like two hours. I thought about the paper I had to write for AP United States history. No matter how many times I read about it, I will never remember what the Monroe Doctrine is. Never.

After a while, Yuuya handed me back my phone and my earphones, which were no longer in a tangled mess. "So… Now what?"

"It is now time for the real test. I want you… to play that song." I saw sweat on Yuuya's forehead. _Can he do it?_ He sat down at the piano, stretched out his fingers, and inhaled. He paused for a second.

Then the most incredible thing happened.

He played it. He played it without sheet music! It was like a ray of sunshine popping out of a gray sky…

He just kept going, until the song was coming to an end. The last key he hit sounded a bit weird. "Dammit, wrong note," he said quietly to himself. But then his face went from 'intense focus' to 'cheerful relief'.

"Wow… I did it," he said. He turned to me. "I didn't know I could do that!" I smiled back. "Isn't that cool?!"

"Now I won't get laughed at for screwing up!" Yuuya stood up and did a victory jump. He spun around and then crashed into me with a hug.

A tight hug.

It surprised me a bit. _Wow, he's really happy about this…_ I thought. I awkwardly hugged him back. _He smells like laundry soap and cherries. Maybe he uses women's shampoo. I know I do._ (It smells way prettier than men's shampoo.)

"How did I not know this?" Yuuya asked, releasing me from his 'boa constrictor' hug. "Well, maybe you were too focused on trying to read the notes, when all you really had to do was focus on the music, or rather what the piano part sounds like."

"Huh… well. Live and learn. Thank you, Armin!"

"Sure, Yuuya. Now, let's head to the library. I'd like to get a jump start on that history paper."

End chapter 5


End file.
